It’s reportedly “undisputed” that Shannon Sharpe will be leaving Skip Bayless and Fox Sports.
According to the New York Post, the former NFL superstar has agreed with the network to sever ties. Sharpe’s last appearance on the sports debate show Undefeated is expected to be after the NBA Finals, which start tomorrow.
As part of the reported buyout agreement, Sharpe’s podcast, Club Shay Shay,
will also be off the network.The reason for the departure has not been stated, but fans of the show and of Sharpe in particular will not be surprised. Sharpe and Bayless have been at odds in recent months.
Things got heated at the end of 2022 during an episode of Undisputed when Sharpe and Bayless engaged in a none too cordial discussion about Tom Brady’s recent game performance. Bayless repeatedly threw shade at Sharpe by reminding him that Brady was still playing at 45.
Then he took a shot at Sharpe by saying that at 35, Sharpe didn’t match Brady’s abilities at 45.
Sharpe, clearly agitated, responded angrily, reminding Bayless that he’d won three Super Bowls and was also in the NFL Hall of Fame. Bayless goaded Sharpe by saying that Brady was a better football player (although Brady and Sharpe played completely different positions).
In early January, Sharpe and Bayless were at odds once again. Bayless posted what many football fans deemed an insensitive tweet after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest during ESPN’s Monday Night Football
.Sharpe was noticeably absent from Undisputed the next day. When he did return, two days later, he immediately confronted Bayless, a former newspaper columnist and ESPN personality, about the tweet in question.
Before joining Undisputed, the 54-year-old Sharpe was on the ESPN morning debate show First Take with superstar sports provocateur Stephen A. Smith in 2016.